Research Offers 10-Year Forecast on Meningococcal Vaccines Market

Meningococcal disease is a potentially fatal illness caused due to bacterium known as Neisseria meningitides. The bacteria is known to cause serious infection in the meninges, which are thin layers of connective tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Common clinical symptoms of meningococcal disease are meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia. Other less common indications include myocarditis, endocarditis or pericarditis, arthritis, conjunctivitis, urethritis, pharyngitis, and cervicitis. Symptoms associated with these disease include high fever, neck stiffness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and petechial rashes.

Meningococcal vaccines are known to be found on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. The bacteria can be classified into over 10 serotypes based in their immunologic reactivity. Currently, globally marketed meningococcal vaccines are of four types – polysaccharide-based, bivalent (Serogroup A and C), trivalent (Serogroup A, C and W-135), and tetravalent (Serogroup A, C, Y and W-135). There is currently only one vaccine available for Serogroup B in the US, while it account for over one-third of the disease cases in the country. The nature and components of the vaccines are purified, heat-stable, lyophilized capsular polysaccharides derived from the meningococci of the respective serogroups.

Disease epidemiology of the meningococcal disease has undergone a radical change over the last century. Case-fatality ratios have witnessed a decline of from a high of 70% in the first part of the twentieth century to less than 15% after 2000. Of late the disease caused by Serogroup Y has increased from prevalence rate of 2% to over 35% between 1990 and 2005. The disease is contractible in nature primarily through antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis. There are currently three meningococcal vaccines available in the US to prevent this life-threatening disease. However, these vaccines frequently feature under the list of critical drugs in shortage.

The primary driver of meningococcal vaccines are introduction of advanced serotype B vaccines from large global drugmakers such as Novartis and Pfizer. The expansion of routine immunization programs across all parts of the world is much needed for the commercial success of these vaccines. Increase in funding from the government of compulsory immunizations at birth will also reduce out-of-pocket expenses of patients and increase affordable access to meningitis vaccines. Further, higher annual meningococcal disease incidence among infants and healthy young adults also is likely to encourage use of the vaccine.

The prime barriers of the market include price wars for the vaccines from comparable drugmakers that may wipe out a greater customer base and reduce overall customer coverage. The other barrier includes increasing financial austerity in the European nations, which is expected to hamper the R&D base for the vaccines. Further, serotype mismatch and less than optimum coverage across countries is likely to negatively affect the demand for the vaccines. A delay in assessing the disease epidemiology over regular intervals due to cost issues may negatively impact the market for meningococcal vaccines over the long-term in the developing nations.

Meningococcal Vaccines Market: Segmentation

Global Compression Therapy Devices is further segmented into these following types:

By Product Type

Monovalent

Bivalent

Trivalent

Tetravalent or Quadrivalent

By formulation

Polysaccharide-based

Conjugate-based

Combination-based

By indication

Pneumonia

Meningitis

Bacteremia

Others (arthritis, conjunctivitis, Urethritis)

Meningococcal Vaccines Market: Overview

With the advancement of research and development, increase in awareness of disease incidence and increasing government support in routine immunizations the meningococcal vaccines Market is gaining traction as a treatment of choice among patients. This market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR in the forecast period (2015-2025).

Rising prophylactic vaccination among infants, who tend to cover the largest endemic population are expected to drive the market in the forecast period.

In terms of geography, North America dominates the Meningococcal Vaccines Market market, followed by Europe. Growing aging population and increasing prevalence of diabetes are also supporting the growth of compression therapy market in this regions. India, China, and Japan are expected to be the fastest-growing markets for compression therapy in Asia.